The Nominees

A Crack in the Wall

Claudia Piñeiro

Translated from the original Spanish by Miranda France

2015 Longlist

Pablo Simó’s life is a mess. His career as an architect is at a dead-end; reduced to designing soulless office buildings desecrating the heart of Buenos Aires. His marriage seems to be one endless argument with his wife over the theatrics of their rebellious teenage daughter. To complicate matters, Pablo has long been attracted to sexy office secretary Marta Horvat, who is probably having an affair with his boss. Everything changes with the unexpected appearance of Leonor, a beautiful young woman who brings to light a crime that happened years before, a crime that everyone in the office wants forgotten, at all costs.

Piñeiro once again demonstrates her capacity to reveal the things hidden behind the facades of our existence; human relationships based on habit and cowardice, rather than love; on excessive ambition and personal gain, rather than morality.

(From Publisher)

About the Author

Claudia Piñeiro lives in Buenos Aires. For many years she was a journalist, playwright and television scriptwriter and in 1992 she won the prestigious Pléyade journalism award. She has more recently turned to fiction and is the author of the novel Thursday Night Widows, awarded the Clarin Prize for Fiction, and All Yours, both previously published by Bitter Lemon Press.

About the Translator

Miranda France is a translator and author. She has won the Shiva Naipaul Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award. She lives in London with her husband and two children.

Librarian’s Comments

A Crack in the Wall has been translated into English, German and Croatian. In 2010 it received the LiBeraturpreis Award and also the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Award, which is given at the International Book Fair of Guadalajara, Mexico.

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